The Los Angeles Kings look to match their longest winning streak in over three years when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night in Newark, N.J.
The Kings extended their run of good fortune to six games on Tuesday when they opened a seven-game road trip — matching a season high — with a 3-1 triumph over the New York Islanders. A victory on Thursday would allow Los Angeles to claim a seven-game run for the first time since Oct. 30-Nov. 11, 2021.
Adrian Kempe converted a feed from captain Anze Kopitar to open the scoring for the second consecutive contest on Tuesday.
Kempe has scored nine of his team-leading 14 goals over his last 11 games.
Kopitar, who is riding a four-game point streak (one goal, four assists), boasts club-best totals in assists (24) and points (32).
“We’ve played together enough to where he knows what I’m going to do and I’ve got a pretty good idea with where he’s going to be and how he’s going to react in certain situations,” Kopitar said of Kempe. “So, yeah, I mean, the chemistry has been there and, hopefully, we can keep it going.”
The addition of Trevor Moore hasn’t slowed the line one bit. Moore, in fact, has three goals and two assists over his last four games.
“The last few games, (our line) has been going pretty good,” Kopitar said. “It always takes a few games to get adjusted, with Trevor coming in on the line and Adrian (Kempe) and me making sure we know where he’s going to be. Right now, it seems like the plays are clicking.”
The fast start was quite the sight for Kings head coach Jim Hiller, who admitted he wasn’t sure what he’d see from his team as it started the lengthy road trip.
“You know, you’re not sure how you’re going to come out. We flew all the way out here, all that kind of stuff, and (the first) was probably one of our best periods of the year,” Hiller said.
New Jersey won 13 of 18 games before dropping back-to-back contests at home this week.
The Devils were shut out for the fifth time this season in a 4-0 setback to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. They dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
Jesper Bratt boosted his team-leading totals in assists (25) and points (38) after setting up Ondrej Palat’s goal in the first period. Bratt has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) over his past six games.
New Jersey carried the majority of play and held a decisive 39-17 edge in shots in what turned out to be a deflating loss.
“It’s a great game by our guys and they deserved a lot more than one point,” goaltender Jacob Markstrom said. “I thought we lost one point (on Tuesday). You don’t build off losses, you build off wins, so that’s a sour one.”
The Devils will conclude their five-game homestand on Saturday afternoon against the Chicago Blackhawks.
–Field Level Media